Press releases
Ghent, Belgium, 17 July 2013 – Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification this morning called for action at the policy and grassroots profits in order to mitigate the effects of drought, and to combat desertification and land degradation effectively. “On the ground, we must help local communities adopt and scale up sustainable land management practices,” he stressed. On the policy front, he said, one side of the equation is to turn the global aspiration of a land-degradation neutral world into a reality by giving it a concrete target under the Sustainable Development Goals under consideration. The other side is to mitigate drought by implementing the outcomes of the recent high level meeting on national drought policy held in Geneva in order to better prepare for and manage the risks associated with drought. Gnacadja was speaking at the global Conference on Desertification and Land Degradation taking place in Ghent, Belgium, in observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification, marked worldwide on 17 June every year. To mark the celebration, Gnacadja announced the three winners of the Land for Life Award with a total prize fund of USD100,000 drawn from 137 applications received from 62 countries. Foundation for Ecological Security from India was declared overall winner with Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible from Mexico and World Vision Australia for its work in West Africa tied for second position, “These three winners exemplify the type of leadership and initiatives that make a difference at the grassroots level. They have succeeded in improving livelihoods while fostering good land stewardship. Much of what they do is simple, but transformational. Gnacadja stressed that “the most affected communities are not standing by, but are leading the way to drought resilience, food and water security.” To read the full statement of Luc Gnacadja, click here. Guido Van Huylenbroeck, Dean, Faculty of BioScience and Engineering, University of Ghent, stressed the need to join forces to act on land degradation using holistic approaches. He said only an integrated approach which involves not only scientists, but also biologists, agronomists and economists, among others, can offer solutions for land resources and protect them from land degradation and desertification worldwide “Not science and for science, but scientific analysis that results in concrete action,” he said. Donald Gabriels, Chairman, UNESCO Chair on Eremology at the University of Ghent outlined the achievements over two decades in the nine member countries of working together under the Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands partnership. The World Day is observed all over the world to draw global attention to strengthen action to combat desertification and land degradation, and mitigate the effects of drought. This year, the event was marked in many countries all over the world, including, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Ghana, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. For more information on the Day, visit: https://www2.unccd.int/actions/17-june-desertification-and-drought-day
Top sustainable land management prize totaling USD 100,000 goes to development organizations in India, Mexico and Australia Ghent, Belgium, 17 June 2013 – For the second year running, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has announced the winners of the 2013 Land for Life Award with a USD 100,000 cash award, to shine the spotlight on organizations that show tangible evidence in combating desertification, land degradation and drought. The announcement was made as part of the worldwide celebrations of the World Day to Combat Desertification taking place today. The first prize award of USD 40,000 goes to Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), a non-governmental organization in India, which was ranked top of the 137 applicants from 62 countries. The second place was a tie between Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible (CCMSS) from Mexico for its work in the Amanalco Valle Bravo Basin in central Mexico and World Vision Australia for popularizing Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration in the Sahel region in Africa. Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, announced the winners this morning at the Conference on Desertification and Land Degradation from the City of Ghent, Belgium, which is hosting the World Day global observance. “These three winners exemplify the type of leadership and initiatives that make the difference at the grassroots level. They improve livelihoods while fostering good land stewardship. Much of what they offer is simple, but transformational,” Mr. Gnacadja said. “We recognize innovative community initiatives that can be replicated to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable and affected populations. What is needed now are policies to attract investment to scale them up and roll them out,” he added. The organization Rehabilitation of Arid Environments in Kenya received special mention from the jury for their achievements in drylands area of Baringo County, helping rural communities to regenerate degraded land. During the event, Gnacadja also announced that Eritrea, Hungary, Kenya, Portugal and Thailand were unveiling their Drylands Champions as part of the worldwide observances to celebrate the Day. He said their zeal, drive and sacrifice keep alive the hope for a productive land heritage for children yet unborn. They “are the global land heroes of our time,” he said. The jury for the Land for Life Award is independent with experts drawn from the field of sustainable land management. It includes personalities like Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF, Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned environmental activist from India, Dr. Dennis Garrity, former executive director of World Agroforestry Center and Dr. Mary Seely from the Desert Research Foundation in Namibia, among other respected experts from academia, government, and civil society. "We are recognizing organizations that have innovated techniques that have jumped the gap and are being applied with large scale impacts and potential for replicability globally as well as nationally,” said Dr. Garrity, speaking on behalf of the Jury. “Each of these initiatives has engaged thousands of rural people and they work at the community level, motivating smallholder farming households to actively engage as stewards of the soil." (ends) Notes to Editors: The following is a summary of each of the winners accompanied by a quote from the winners and the Executive Secretary. Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), India When land is shared by everyone, who is responsible for its well-being? Working through traditional democratic institutions in more than 4,000 villages, FES has motivated communities to actively engage in land stewardship, changing how people gather firewood and graze their animals on common lands. By using the land restoration techniques introduced by FES, soil fertility, biodiversity and ground water availability has improved in over 200,000 hectares of common property rangelands, with benefits to an estimated 1.7 million people across India. Their work has also influenced national laws for common land management. Quote from FES: “We are happy that 'Commons' both as resource systems and as a governance paradigm is gaining recognition internationally,” said Mr. Jagdeesh Rao, Executive Director of FES. “With our feet firmly on the ground and with growing enthusiasm, FES will continue to espouse the cause of improved governance of nature and natural resources to provide better opportunities to the rural poor.” Quote by Luc Gnacadja: “Poor land governance is one of the leading reasons for the emergence of desertification and land degradation in many parts of the world. FES has found an innovative solution to this problem and for large-scale commons.” Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible (CCMSS), Mexico CCMSS was recognized for its work in the Amanalco Valle Bravo Basin in central Mexico, which provides vital water and forest resources to millions of people. But the land in this valley has suffered environmental degradation recently due to population pressures and unplanned development. CCMSS has built the capacity of 1,500 smallholder farmer families to carry out sustainable agriculture and forestry management over 15,200 hectares. They are also piloting carbon finance (REDD+) and payment for ecosystem services programs in Mexico. Quote from CCMSS: “We would like to express our deep acknowledgement to the rural communities that silently make great efforts to sustainably manage landscapes, safeguarding humanity’s bio-cultural heritage,” said Mr. Sergio Madrid Zubiran, Executive Director of CCMSS. “The work of CCMSS has prospered thanks to determination of Mexican communities and to the wisdom, knowledge and efforts they make in order to collectively steward natural resources, demonstrating the success of their organization strategies.” Quote by Luc Gnacadja: “The most sustainable solutions to our environmental problems are those that find a balance between resource conservation, improving livelihoods and income generation, and CCMSS has found that balance.” World Vision Australia and Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration in West Africa World Vision Australia has popularized the concept of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in West Africa and beyond, changing how thousands of farmers manage their land. In many degraded environments, the naturally-occurring trees and shrubs have been cut for firewood, building materials and to plant crops, but the roots remain under the ground - an "underground forest". By managing this underground forest back to maturity, degraded forests are restored, thereby reversing biodiversity loss and reducing vulnerability to climate change. When FMNR trees are integrated into crops and grazing pastures there is an increase in crop yields, soil fertility and organic matter, soil moisture and leaf fodder. There is also a decrease in wind and heat damage, and soil erosion. Over the last 20 years, World Vision Australia has trained thousands of farmers in FMNR, resulting in the restoration of thousands of hectares in 14 countries. Quote from World Vision Australia: "World Vision Australia is thrilled by the UNCCD's recognition of our reforestation work. This award is another big step towards global recognition of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and the impact it's having on tackling poverty,” said Mr. Tim Costello, chief executive of World Vision Australia. “The pioneer of FMNR, Tony Rinaudo, has committed his life to reforesting degraded land and bringing hope back to communities, so it is a great pleasure for me and my colleagues to witness the impact his work is now having in 14 countries around the world. FMNR is truly turning man-made deserts into food bowls and that's something World Vision is immensely proud of." Quote by Luc Gnacadja: “The value of traditional and indigenous knowledge systems in environmental management today is often questioned, but in FMNR, the power of traditional knowledge systems that are combined with conventional science truly comes alive. The scale of land rehabilitation in this region and the impact it has had on the well-being of the local people is nothing short of phenomenal.” About the Land for Life Award The Land for Life award programme is a collaborative initiative between the UNCCD and the Korea Forest Service, Elion Resources Group, China, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Global Environment Facility, International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Qatar National Food Security Programme. For media coverage and interviews, contact: Ms. Emily Davila Email: edavila@unccd.int Tel: +49 228 815 2831 Resources Photos of Land for Life Award winners for Media use: https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=28035CC649F0A07A!1216&authkey=!AMoSJ4nwb9Z31gg More on the WDCD and events taking place around the world: /en/programmes/Event-and-campaigns/WDCD/WDCD2013/Pages/default.aspx?HighlightID=168 Land for Life Award: /en/programmes/Event-and-campaigns/LandForLife
Bonn, Germany, 6 May 2013 – The secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is pleased to announce the 16 semi-finalists of this year’s Land for Life Award. The semi-finalists are from 13 countries - Australia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe. From planting a great green wall in Indonesia, to building sand dams in Kenya, to growing food in the shade of solar panels in India, these semi-finalists offer innovative and inspiring lessons on how to restore and conserve land. “As with last year, this year’s semi-finalists show that land degradation and drought are not fates. Innovative and inspiring solutions exist that we can scale-up and scale out,” Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD responded when the short-list was presented to him. “Recognizing efforts like these on sustainable land management is particularly timely because the global community is looking to create sustainable development goals that can be measured and achieved to curb land and soil degradation,” he added. Land degradation is often an underlying factor of rural poverty, which severely impacts the ability of subsistence farmers to grow food and access freshwater. An estimated 70 per cent of the developing world’s 1.4 billion extremely poor people live in rural areas, according to a 2011 report by International Fund for Agricultural Development. This is the second cycle of the Land for Life Award, which was established in 2011 to recognize efforts that promote the natural health and productivity of the earth’s soils. The semi-finalists represent some of the most cutting-edge and practical solutions in global sustainable land management. The three winners chosen from among them will share a prize fund of up to 100,000 USD. Winners will be announced on 17 June, at the global observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification to be held at the Conference on Desertification and Land Degradation in Ghent, Belgium. The semi-finalists were selected from 137 applications submitted from 62 countries. The Award is open to individuals, NGOs, governments, business, media and others contributing to sustainable land management. Winners are selected by an independent jury of experts from the field of sustainable land management, with personalities like Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF, Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned environmental activist from India, Dr. Dennis Garrity, former executive director of World Agroforestry Center and Dr. Mary Seely from the Desert Research Foundation in Namibia, among other respected experts from government, the UNCCD and civil society. The sixteen semi-finalists are: Abellon CleanEnergy, India Abellon is the only business in the world that employs landless farmers and women to practice agriculture under the shade of solar panels. The 12 hectares of solar panels provide the community with clean energy, as well as organic fruits and vegetables grown with water run-off from frequent panel cleaning. The Savory Institute, Zimbabwe A lifelong champion of sustainable land management, Allan Savory has pioneered the concept of holistic land management, promoting sustainable grazing particularly in the grasslands of Africa. The Savory Institute is creating a global network of 100 locally-led hubs to provide training, consulting and implementation support for land managers. Ms. Bilha Givon, Israel Working in one of the most degraded environments in Israel, Ms. Givon has dedicated her life to environmental conservation in the Negev Desert. As the founder of the NGO Sustainable Development in the Negev (SDN), she is the key initiator of environmental responsibility forums, where communities engage in regular dialogues with industry polluters, which has resulted in improved environmental standards. Her leadership has also resulted in the first “green” ISO-certified towns in Israel. Biovision Foundation, Switzerland and East Africa Through popularizing the Push-Pull method, the Biovision foundation has helped 50,000 maize farmers in East Africa prevent pests, increase crop outputs and enhance soil fertility. The foundation also supports medicinal plant-based enterprises which protect forest biodiversity, as well as communication initiatives such as publishing the only newspaper on ecological farming in East Africa. Conservation International, Indonesia Targeting restoration of a key watershed, Conservation International Indonesia has planted a green wall of 100,000 native trees over a 200-hectare area bordering two national parks. The wall prevents soil erosion and protects water flows for 30 million consumers downstream in Greater Jakarta. Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible (CCMSS), Mexico The Amanalco Valle Bravo Basin in central Mexico provides vital water and forest resources to millions of people. But recently the land has suffered due to population pressures and unplanned development. CCMSS has built the capacity of 1,500 families of smallholder farmers for sustainable agriculture and forestry management over 15,200 hectares. They also are piloting carbon finance (REDD+) and payment for ecosystem services programs in Mexico. DeCo! Ghana Farmers in the savanna region of Ghana have low crop yields as result of poor soils. DeCo! supplies them with organic fertilizer through a sustainable business model, collecting local waste, fruit, vegetable and other biomass residues to produce rich compost. DeCo!’s compost offers a low-cost alternative to less sustainable government subsidized chemical fertilizers. EcoAgriculture Partners, United States The concept of ecoagriculture means managing landscapes in a way that supports people’s well-being, biodiversity, food production and the conservation of ecosystem services. Through developing practical tools, providing trainings and conducting research, EcoAgriculture Partners acts as global thought leader in the field of sustainable land management. Excellent Development, United Kingdom & Kenya Working in dryland areas across East Africa, Excellent Development supports access to clean water for rural communities by offering technical support for the building of sand dams. Sand dams are reinforced concrete walls installed in seasonal riverbeds. The technique creates a higher riverbed, which acts like a sponge to store water and replenishes the aquifer. The technique has spread largely via word of mouth, and there are currently 2,000 sand dams globally. Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), India When land is shared by everyone, who is responsible for its well-being? Through land restoration and establishing community governance mechanisms, FES has worked to bring sustainable land management to over 200,000 hectares of common property rangelands, forests and water resources in India. Their work has improved the livelihoods of 1.7 million people living in more than 4,000 villages, and influenced national environmental policy. Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (LPN) Portugal Working in Castro Verde, the region in Portugal most susceptible to desertification, LPN supports farmers to continue traditional steppe farming, practices which support eco-systems that provide over 30,000 hectares of habitat for endangered migratory birds. Rehabilitation of Arid Environments Trust (RAE), Kenya In Baringo County Kenya, 70 percent of land is arid or semi-unproductive, subject to increasing soil erosion, loss of vegetative cover and decreasing biodiversity. Working with the community over 30 years, RAE has implemented a variety of land rehabilitation techniques based on harvesting rainfall as well as other programs supporting rural livelihoods. Their work has benefited 20,000 farmers and pastoralists directly, and 380,000 people in the community at large. Royal Botanic Garden, Community-Based Rangeland Rehabilitation Project, Jordan In 2007, the Royal Botanic Garden decided to conserve a new parcel of land, building a fence around the 200-hectare site. But the local community was not on board and every night Bedouin herders would sneak across the fence and graze their animals. So the RBG introduced a program of managed grazing, engaging with the herders and allowing them to graze during certain periods, giving the land a needed respite. As a result, erosion has declined and soil fertility and biodiversity have increased, including the return of some plants that had even disappeared in recent years Dr. Venanzio Vallerani, Italy (In memoriam) Dedicating his life to helping farmers in arid environments, Dr. Vallerani pioneered the “Vallerani system,” a method of land cultivation that uses a special tractor which can treat 30 hectares in a single day. Through digging a series of half-moons, the method prepares the earth for planting and better water absorption during the short rainy season. Dr. Vallerani passed away in 2012 at the age of 88. He influenced an entire generation of foresters and land conservation technicians in the Sahel and beyond. Wildlife Works Carbon, USA & Kenya Wildlife Works is a for-profit company that has pioneered the first application of the UN REDD+ program and carbon credits to finance large-scale forest conservation in the tropics. By creating jobs in conservation, eco-charcoal production and at an organic clothing factory, Wildlife Works offers people an opportunity to earn an income through alternative means, reducing pressures on land. The initiative benefits 120,000 people in southeast Kenya and protects over 500,000 acres in a key wildlife corridor. World Vision Australia By popularizing the concept of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), World Vision has changed how thousands of farmers manage their land, helping them cultivate buried root systems or “underground forests,” in degraded landscapes, over time restoring productivity. Over the last 20 years, World Vision has trained thousands of farmers in FMNR, resulting in the restoration of thousands of hectares in West Africa and beyond. For more information and photos. click here. About the Land for Life Award The 2013 Land for Life award is a collaboration between the UNCCD and the Korea Forest Service, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Global Environment Facility, International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Qatar National Food Security Programme, and the Elion Resources Group, China. About the UNCCD Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of healthy soils. The Convention’s 195 signatory Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore the land’s productivity, and mitigate the effects of drought. Press Contact Wagaki Mwangi +49 228 815 2820wmwangi@unccd.int
Bonn, Germany, 19 April 2013 – A major conference of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), convened onto assess progress in the implementation of the Convention’s 10-Year Strategy and to find ways to enable affected countries to better address desertification and drought, concluded today with success. The eleventh session of the Committee for the Review of Implementation of the Convention (CRIC11), one of the Convention’s subsidiary bodies, took place from 15-19 April in Bonn, Germany. “This has been a very constructive discussion, where we’ve looked at what really works and where the roadblocks are. We have heard clearly from the Parties that there are too many indicators and some of them need to be revised,” Chair of CRIC 11 Mary Rowen said. “As someone, who has been involved with this Convention since 1998, I see great progress in making our efforts sustainable economically, ecologically and socially.” “The latest reporting has showed that 168 countries have declared themselves affected by desertification, whereas in the 1990s the number was 110 countries. This means that either desertification is spreading or our understanding of being affected has increased,” UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja said. Mr. Gnacadja highlighted the key achievements by the Parties, noting they have already met the overall target in awareness raising and there is a very positive trend in the number of countries that have established their financing strategies. One of the remaining challenges, he said, is translating the increased awareness into national polices through the alignment of national action programmes with The Strategy. “There has been an interactive and theme and action-oriented exchange of experiences and we can expect the impact in the years to come. We look forward to seeing how the Conference of Parties in Namibia in mid-September will take all the discussions into consideration and make informed decisions,” Gnacadja said. CRIC11 reviewed the first four operational objectives, of The Strategy, namely, advocacy, awareness raising and education; the alignment of national policy frameworks with the 10- Year Strategy; science, technology and knowledge; and capacity building. It also reviewed investments at country-level and ways to engage with the private sector and civil society organizations. In 2007, Parties to the Convention adopted the 10-Year strategy and framework for the implementation of the Convention (2008-2018) to streamline their work. They also agreed to apply the Results Based Management (RBM) approach to measure and assess progress. The approach obliges all stakeholders, from the secretariat, to Parties and civil society organizations, to report their achievements every two years using qualitative and quantitative data built on a standardized template for a better assessment of what progress is made overall. In 2009, Parties also agreed to use the indicators on poverty and land cover to assess the impact of their sustainable land management activities on affected populations and ecosystems. The 2012 reports reviewed at CRIC11 are the first to contain this data. CRIC11 Chair Rowen stated that the Committee on Science and Technology will provide guidance on the recommendations to the Parties with regard to the impact indicators and the challenges faced by affected countries in their implementation. The final report from CRIC11 with recommendations will be transferred for consideration and decision to the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), which will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from 16 to 27 September 2013. The announcement of hosting the COP was made at the conference by Deputy Minister for Environment and Tourism of Namibia, Mr. Pohamba Shifeta, at the opening of the CRIC11. For more information please contact: Wagaki Mwangi UNCCD Press and Media Officer Email: wmwangi@unccd.int, Telephone: +49-228 8152820 +49 173 268 7593 (mobile)
Bonn, Germany, 18 April 2013 – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) today signed an agreement to collaborate in the nuclear technologies to strengthen the assessment of soil erosion and monitor improvements over time. The Practical Arrangement, as it is known, was signed by Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of UNCCD, and Ana Claudia Raffo-Caiado, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Technical Cooperation Programme Support and Coordination (TCPC), during the eleventh session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention under way in Bonn, Germany. “Land degradation threatens over 1.5 billion people in over 168 countries,” Raffo-Caiado, Director of the IAEA’s Division for Technical Cooperation Programme Support and Coordination, said during the signing ceremony. “IAEA builds country capacities to use radionuclide and stable isotopic techniques to study soil erosion and land degradation problems. These capacities are essential for soil conservation, land use planning and decision making,” she added. Gnacadja said “this practical cooperation with IAEA will help Parties to the Convention to gain access to technical support on the application of isotopic and nuclear techniques to assess the soil and water status and identify hot spots of land degradation.” “And it is a timely cooperation. Last week, scientists lamented the lack of bio-physical data on the status of soil and water. This week, representatives of the Parties have shared the capacity challenges they faced in measuring the impact of their activities on change in the land cover. This technology enables willing Parties to transcend such challenges,” he said. The Practical Arrangement, which runs until 31 December 2017, aims to, at once, enhance conservation of land and soil resources for poverty reduction and environmental sustainability and support the health and productivity of drylands for the well-being of present and future generations. Studies suggest that over 20 billion hectares of fertile soil is lost through the erosion of cropland every year and that every 10 years, in the drylands, an area the size of South Africa becomes unproductive just from desertification and drought. Many of the 195 Parties to the UNCCD have elaborated their national action programmes in order to reverse these trends. Last year, world leaders agreed to strive for a land-degradation neutral world so that further land degradation is avoided. Where it is inevitable, degrading land would be offset by restoring an equivalent amount of degraded land, ideally in the same ecosystem and the same timeframe. The leaders also mandated the UNCCD to monitor, globally, land degradation and land restoration in the drylands. “With the help of IAEA and these nuclear techniques, we can improve our understanding of and access to high quality data on land and soil dynamics. By preventing degradation and rehabilitating degraded land we are protecting one of the world’s most vital, almost non-renewable, natural resources, and building the resilience of populations and ecosystems,” Gnacadja said. The Arrangement enables UNCCD Parties willing to participate in IAEA soil management projects to strengthen the scientific basis of the Convention and advocacy by applying the science of radionuclides in efforts to improve land productivity and minimize the impacts of drought. “The IAEA technical cooperation programme in soil and water management uses radionuclides to assess the extent and amount of soil erosion, the effectiveness of soil and water conservation strategies in retaining water and applied nutrients for food production under both rainfed and irrigated agricultural systems,” Raffo-Caiado stated. “IAEA projects also use environmentally friendly tracer elements to determine optimal placement and timing of fertilizers and water, to identify crop residue management practices and to determine how much nitrogen plants can capture from the atmosphere,” she added. Cooperation is foreseen in the exchange and dissemination of information, participation in relevant scientific networks and activities, and in joint educational and training courses. For further information, on the Arrangement contact: International Atomic Energy Agency: Rick Kastens, Section Head, Strategic Partnerships, Department of Technical Cooperation, IAEA. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification: Louise Baker, Senior Adviser – Partnerships UNCCD. For media interviews, contact: Komila Nabiyeva, Knabiyeva@unccd.int
Bonn, Germany, 14 April 2013 – Desertification, the degradation of the land in the world’s dryland areas, now affects 168 countries that are Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the latest reports submitted by the Parties show. This is much higher than previous estimations of 110 countries. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD made the revelation today during the opening of the eleventh session of the Convention’s subsidiary body that reviews progress in the Convention’s implementation – the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC). CRIC 11 is meeting from 15-19 April in Bonn, Germany. “We are at the half-way point of implementing the 10-year strategy for 2008-2018. Preliminary results from the latest reporting shows that some of the targets have been met, but the policy-related targets are far from being achieved,” Gnacadja said. “This interssessional meeting of the CRIC is vitally important. It gives Parties and observers a chance to discuss and learn from each other about what works and what needs more work in terms of addressing drought and land degradation in drylands,” said Mary Rowen, Chair of CRIC 11. “We are at a point where we are examining our impact indicators and are also looking at progress on some of our process indicators. We are looking forward to a robust and lively exchange of views on implementation of the first four operational objectives of the 10-year strategy,” she added. These first four operational objectives are advocacy, awareness raising and education, the alignment of national policy frameworks with the 10-Year Strategy, science, technology and knowledge, and, lastly, capacity building. “We will also be discussing investments at the country implementation level and look forward to gaining a better understanding of national and multi-national financial flows. In addition, we will discuss how best to engage the private sector as we move forward,” she said. In 2007, Parties to the Convention adopted the 10-Year strategy and framework for the implementation of the Convention (2008-2018) to streamline their work. They also agreed to apply the Results Based Management (RBM) approach to measure and assess progress. The approach obliges all stakeholders, from the secretariat, Parties to civil society organizations, to report their achievements every two years using qualitative and quantitative data built on a standardized template for a better assessment of what progress is made overall. In 2009, Parties also agreed to use the indicators on poverty and land cover to assess the impact of their sustainable land management activities on affected populations and ecosystems. The most recent reports are the first to contain this data. In the first reporting cycle, 2010-2011, 112 countries submitted the reports by the deadline. In the 2012-2013 cycle, a total of 80 reports were submitted by Parties. “This is the second reporting cycle using performance indicators. With these reports we can now carry out a trend analysis that tells us how we are doing,” Gnacadja said. “This is also the first time that Parties have provided data on the impact of their activities on poverty and change in the land cover in the areas affected by desertification. Less than half of the Parties submitted this information by the deadline for submission, but it is still a good start. It provides a baseline from which to assess improvements” he said. CRIC11 Chair Rowen said the session “will strive to encourage exchange of information and ideas among participants so that at the forthcoming Conference of the Parties to be convened later this year, Parties can take decisions based on the information gained that will support measures to enhance the implementation at national, sub-regional and regional level in line with the Convention's strategic framework.” CRIC 11 will end Friday, 19 April, with recommendations for action by the Conference of the Parties. During the opening session, Hon. Pohamba Shifeta, Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, Namibia, made the offer to host the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties in September 2013. For more information contact: Wagaki Mwangi UNCCD Press and Media Officer Email: wmwangi@unccd.int +49 228 8152820 +49 173 2687593 (mobile)
Geneva, Switzerland, 15 March 2013 – A top-level United Nations conference has, for the first time, laid the foundations for practical and proactive national drought policies to increase resilience to the world’s most destructive natural hazard, which is being aggravated by climate change. The High-level Meeting on National Drought Policy marked the first globally-coordinated attempt to move towards science-based drought disaster risk reduction and break away from piecemeal and costly crisis-response, which often comes too late to avert death, displacement and destruction. The High-level Meeting on National Drought Policy marked the first globally-coordinated attempt to move towards science-based drought disaster risk reduction and break away from piecemeal and costly crisis-response, which often comes too late to avert death, displacement and destruction. The meeting issued a declaration encouraging governments to develop and implement national drought management policies consistent with their development objectives. It also provided detailed scientific and policy guidance on how to achieve this (link to declaration and science and policy documents) “Prevention must be our priority,” said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in a message to delegates. “Nations need urgently to develop strategies for resilience — especially for the poor, who are always hit first and worst.” The meeting on 11-15 March was organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and other partners. It brought together more than 300 government decision-makers, development agencies, and leading scientists and researchers. His Excellency Brigi Rafini , Prime Minister of Niger, which has suffered from repeated droughts, chaired the high-level segment, which was addressed by more than 20 ministers. The Prince of Orange, chairman of the Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, gave a keynote speech on the need for integrated water management. “We have taken a major stride towards more proactive drought policies to protect lives and livelihoods. This is the first global dialogue on national drought policies and it has shown that we have the knowledge, we have the experience, and we have the determination to reduce the unacceptably high human and economic toll of drought,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. “Building resilience to drought is not only a mitigation measure, but a smart investment with guaranteed high return. Post-disaster relief is way costlier than drought preparedness and risk management. Therefore, we call on governments and all stakeholders in drought-prone countries to engage in developing their national drought policies and we are ready to support them,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja. “The nature of drought and its effects on key sectors such as water, agriculture, meteorology, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, etc. call for close collaboration between these sectors and beyond in order for drought management to achieve its goals. Such collaboration has, unfortunately, been lacking. It is our hope that the collaboration between a large number of partners in the context of this High-level Meeting will constitute the starting point for lifting this constraint at all levels,” said Ann Tutwiler, Special Representative of FAO to the UN organizations in Geneva. It has been estimated that droughts are the world’s costliest natural disaster, accounting for 6-8 billion US dollars annually, and impacting more people than any other form of natural disaster. Since 1900, over 11 million people have died as a result of droughts, and 2 billion people have been affected. The frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts are expected to rise as a result of climate change, with an increasing human and economic toll. . Since the 1970s, the land area affected by drought has doubled, undermining livelihoods, reversing development gains and entrenching poverty among millions of people who depend directly on the land. Women, children and the aged often pay the heaviest price. Recurrent drought waves in vulnerable regions of Africa have attracted global attention because of the famines and massive social and economic disruptions. Drought in the Sahel reduced cereal production by 26 per cent in 2012 as compared to 2011. The situation remains critical, with over 10 million people still food insecure and 1.4 million children at risk of acute malnutrition. But drought affects other regions as well, as witnessed in recent years in the United States, Russia, Europe, India, Brazil and Australia, wreaking havoc on food supplies worldwide.. Presentations at the meeting showed that proactive drought management planning is now possible following major advances in science and technology, and knowledge about sustainable land management. Varied innovations also exist for national and regional drought monitoring, early warning systems, risk-based responses as well as mitigation and coping strategies. The meeting issued a consensus declaration stressing the need for national drought management policies. Specifically, it encouraged governments to: Develop proactive drought impact mitigation, preventive and planning measures, risk management, fostering of science, appropriate technology and innovation, public outreach and resource management as key elements of effective national drought policy. Promote greater collaboration to enhance the quality of local/national/regional/global observation networks and delivery systems. Improve public awareness of drought risk and preparedness for drought. Consider, where possible within the legal framework of each country, economic instruments, and financial strategies, including risk reduction, risk sharing and risk transfer tools in drought management plans. Establish emergency relief plans based on sound management of natural resources and self-help at appropriate governance levels. Link drought management plans to local/national development policies. Better drought management is one of the priorities of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) now being implemented by governments with support from the United Nations. Climate services aim to increase drought resilience by improving climate information and services, especially for the most vulnerable. They will build on fast improving climate prediction capabilities. The GFCS aims to give global access to improved services for four initial priority sectors – food security and agriculture, water, health and disaster risk reduction – by the end of 2017. Outcomes of the high-level meeting will also be transmitted to the UNCCD Conference of Parties to be held in September 2013. Its last Conference in 2011 took a decision to formulate an advocacy policy framework on drought, taking gender-sensitive approaches into account. The High Final Declaration of the Level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) can be viewed here. The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water Website: www.wmo.int For more information, please contact: Clare Nullis WMO Communications and Public Affairs E-mail: cnullis(@)wmo.int Tel: +41 22 730 8478 +41 79 7091397 (mobile) UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of healthy soils. The Convention’s 195 signatory Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore the land’s productivity, and mitigate the effects of drought. For more information, please contact: Wagaki Mwangi UNCCD Public Information and Media Officer Tel: +49-228-815-2820 E-mail: wmwangi@unccd.int FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, leads international efforts to eradicate hunger and build sustainable and equitable food production systems. For more information, please contact: Kimberly Sullivan Communication and Publications Officer Natural Resources Department Office of Assistant Director-General FAO Tel: +39 0657055023 E-mail: kimberly.sullivan@fao.org
Capturing the True Value of Land: Kigali to host international workshop on natural capital valuation Kigali, Rwanda, 7 December 2012 – The OSLO Consortium, the Global Mechanism, UNECA and the Land Policy Initiative, with support from the UNCCD, the Economics of Land Degradation, the Government of Norway, the European Economic Commission, and CABI present a Sub-regional Capacity Building Workshop on Natural Capital Valuation of Land and Ecosystem Services for Eastern Africa. International experts from over 20 different countries will gather in Kigali for a four-day workshop on natural capital valuation of land. The aim of the workshop will be to provide participants (primarily land valuers from Eastern Africa) with the tools and methodologies to use land and ecosystem valuation to mobilize financial resources for sustainable land use. More specifically, the workshop will: Provide a forum for sharing knowledge and evidence-based lessons and experiences, as well as for building networks of expertise; Be instrumental to the identification of adequate land policy reforms and/or the design of accompanying policy measures, such as incentives and market based mechanisms (IMBMs), risk management/mitigation tools and other enabling conditions to encourage private investment and business assurance; Strengthen the synergies and linkages in Eastern Africa on trans-boundary issues related to land management; Be a basis for formulating a framework for building consensus and outlining future action by the various stakeholders, practitioners and development partners. WHEN: 10-13, December 2012 WHERE: Lemigo Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda WHO: Simone Quatrini, Ecological Economist, The Global Mechanism/John Soussan, Scientific Coordinator, OSLO Consortium Joan Kagwanja, Chief, Land Policy Initiative (UNECA) With representatives from The World Bank; The ELD Initiative; UNEP; UNDP; The United Nations University; The Basque Center for Climate Change; The Wildlife Conservation Society; The University of Zurich, Kilimo Salama, Rwanda, Kenya, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania and more. Please contact Christina Wollesen c.wollesen@global-mechanism.org to request more information about the event, or a copy of the official concept note. The OSLO Consortium is a global partnership of leading research and academic institutions, international organizations and UN agencies engaged in the economic assessment of the total value of land and ecosystem services, and in the development of innovative solutions for sustainable land use. Its members are international experts in the fields of ecological economics, environmental science, development policy, and sustainable development.
Doha, Qatar, 4 December 2012 – Three civil society organizations, Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) from Haiti, Conservation Efforts for Community Development (CECOD) from Uganda and the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA) of Türkiye took home international recognition and financial awards totaling 100,000 United States dollars and medals at an evening gala held in Doha, Qatar. They won the global Land for Life Award that attracted over 100 applicants, and were recognized for their innovative, inspiring and transformative work to increase the natural health of soils and restore its productivity. The annual soil loss of 75 billion tons translates into that a loss of 4 and 10 tons of soil loss per person per year. And every year, 12 million hectares of land – an area equal to the size of Benin or the Dominican Republic – are lost to desertification or drought alone, and with it, the opportunity to produce 20 million tones of grain. “Tonight we are celebrating three of the many hidden champions of this 21st century - those who have chosen, at their own expenses, to be the guardians of our soil, to take care of the health of our land for the sake of present and future generations,” said Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, at the award gala. “We can create laws to protect the soil. If our children can be agents of change, why can’t we? Poverty is not an excuse – even in the worst of conditions, opportunities exist,” he said, referring to the achievements of the winners. SOIL, the first prize winner of US$40,000, has made specially designed toilets – ecotoilets – to collect human waste, which is then treated and turned into safe, nutrient-rich compost that is well-suited to regenerate depleted soil that can increase agricultural production. Coming from Haiti, the innovation is particularly notable and timely because not only is all the land in Haiti seriously degraded and in need of repair, but sanitation facilities are in short supply, the people depend on the land, as will the nation’s recovery from the 2010 earthquake disaster. “We will use this award to develop an integrated agricultural livelihood learning center that will have a full-scale composting operation, fruit tree nursery and solar-powered drip irrigation demonstration farm,” said Ms. Leah Nevada, who received the award on behalf of SOIL. CECOD and TEMA tied as runner-ups. Uganda’s CECOD won the award for mobilizing school children to be the agents through which new innovations on land-use are disseminated. It has mobilized 34,700 schools and over 12,000 households. “We will use the US$30,000 we have received to launch our own Green Flag Award to recognize schools and communities that are leading efforts in collaborative sustainable nature resource management,” said Robert Isingoma, Country Director of CECOD. TEMA’s achievement was the mobilization of 1million signatures to petition Türkiye’s Parliament for a law to protect Türkiye’s soil. It got 450,000 volunteers to do so, and has filed 158 successful legal cases in favor of environmental conservation. “The prize of 30,000 dollars will contribute to our awareness-raising activities,” said Mr. Sedar Sarigul, TEMA’s General Manager. Chief Guest at the event, Mr. Fahad Bin Mohammed Al- Attiya, Chairman of Qatar Nation Food Security Programme – one of the Awards’ sponsors – said these achievements support global food security, an issue of great interest to Qatar, which imports 90% of its food. Qatar has an ambitious vision – to be food secure by 2024 – which Mr. Al-Attiya compared to America’s 1960s aspiration to land a man on the moon. In a country that has no rivers or fresh water, “to produce our food does not seem feasible…. For us, it will be revolutionary and will help other people, including those who have no sources of food and water. The solution will spur a lot of unintended multipliers that will spread to other regions and help those like us who have food and water shortages,” he said. Mr. Gnacadja announced that the 2013 Land for Life Award will have two new prizes. A special prize will be designated for gender, to recognize the contribution of women. A new prize will be established targeting action in Africa, a region with highly vulnerable soils and where restoration of degraded land is urgently needed. At a subsequent press conference, Mr. Gnacadja said “what the winners have done is particularly notable because it one of the new and hot issues on the agenda of the global Climate Conference under way in Doha because the restoration of degraded land boosts adaption, and has the added benefits of alleviating poverty as well as mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon into the soil.” “Carbon is a pollutant in the air, but it boosts the fertility of the soil, and these three organizations show how we can channel it there. Land use and land use change, deforestation and agriculture are all major causes of global warming. Often, they are drivers of land degradation and soil erosion,” he says. “The restoration of degraded land, increasing soil fertility and land use techniques such as sustainable land management can reverse this process,” he added. Also speaking at the press conference, Sheikh Hamad Bin Ali Bin Jassim Al-Thani, Vice-Chair, QNFSP, said Qatar has had an overall strategy for food security under the Global Dry Land Alliance, and when the Award was launched they found the kind of new, innovative and creative initiative focused at the grassroots that they were looking to support. The award, he said, shows some “thinking outside the box” that addresses the big global challenges facing humanity, like hunger and food security. The Land for Life Award was established last year at the tenth session of the Parties to the UNCCD held in Changwon, Republic of Korea. It is part of the Changwon Initiative spearheaded by the Government of Korea, which has committed to provide a contribution towards the Award for five years. The 2012 Land for Life Award attracted 109 applications from all regions of the world. The 2013 award was launched on 3 November 2012 and nominations will close on 15 March 2013. About the UNCCD Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of healthy soils. The Convention’s 195 signatory Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore the land’s productivity, and mitigate the effects of drought. Notes to Editors Videos of the award winning projects are available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrNcN_HokFA&feature=results_video To download the high-resolution videos to go: https://spaces.hightail.com/resolve/1833854178/8c5f2c9f7c724acb475adaa10030d281 Pictures of the award ceremony are available on request at the email address below. For additional information on the Award, click here. For more information contact: Wagaki Mwangi Email: wmwangi@unccd.int Cell: +974 5584 6163 (in Doha)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 13 June 2012 – At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the secretariats of the biodiversity, climate change and desertification conventions and the Global Environment Facility are joining forces under the Rio Conventions Pavilion to promote implementation of these three multilateral environmental agreements on sustainable development. The 1992 Rio Earth Summit gave rise to the three Rio Conventions: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Twenty years on, partners from around the world are back in Rio de Janeiro to take stock of the ways these agreements have enabled the world to address the interrelated challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and combating desertification and land degradation. Running from 13 to 22 June in a dedicated space in Athletes Park adjacent to the conference centre, the Pavilion comprises daily events highlighting themes and cross-cutting issues relevant to the Rio+20 Conference and to achieving synergies between the three conventions. The Pavilion opens on 13 June with the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s (ENB) “curtain-raiser” for the Rio+20 conference. A new mobile application designed for smartphones will be launched at the Pavilion that evening. During the Pavilion, ENB will provide daily coverage of its events at: http://www.iisd.ca/uncsd/rio20/pavilion/?utm_source=www.iisd.org&utm_medium=web&utm_content=events&utm_campaign=uncsd2012 Themes will focus on Africa, Indigenous and Local Communities (both on 14 June), Oceans (16 June), global celebration of the World Day on Desertification (17 June), business and sustainable development (18 June), mainstreaming the issue of gender in the implementation of the Conventions (20 June), and the role of cities (22 June). A series of high-level events will be held on 21 June to mark the twentieth anniversary of the three conventions. As one of many highlights of the ten-day programme, on 20 June Lord Nicholas Stern, Pavan Sukhdev and Jeffrey Sachs, the study leaders of ground breaking economic assessments on the issues addressed by each of the three conventions, will, for the first time, meet in a joint panel moderated by Caroline Spelman, UK Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity said: “We cannot afford to wait any longer to tackle the interlinked challenges of climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss through concerted action at global, national and local levels. Rio+20 is an historic opportunity to learn what has worked well, and what has not, and to redouble our efforts to build the Future We Want. The Rio Conventions Pavilion is a key space to support this dialogue.” Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary said: "Global efforts to combat climate change, along with those to slow desertification and biodiversity loss, are pointing in the right direction, and governments are in many cases designing increasingly ambitious national policies. But we urgently need to accelerate the pace and scope of what is being done today to safeguard the future we want. All areas of society have crucial roles to play. At the pavilion, we will for example be showcasing the potential of business to act and demonstrate how momentum for change is building via public- private partnerships. And we will address the crucial role women play in making their societies more climate-resilient." Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary to the UNCCD said: “Efforts to combat desertification by fostering sustainable land management practices have potential co-benefits for climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use through protecting and restoring the productive potential in drylands.” GEF CEO and Chairperson, Monique Barbut said: “The GEF came into being the year before the first Earth Summit but it was here that we really got our mission as the financing mechanism for the three Rio Conventions. In becoming the largest public funder of projects to protect the global environment, we have moved far along the path of scaling up projects and developing synergies linking biodiversity conservation, climate change and sustainable land management. The GEF’s solid relationships with donor and developing nations, NGOS and local communities have helped make us both a provider and a catalyst of investment in the environment. The leverage generated by these relationships is what helps the GEF make such a significant contribution to sustainable development.” The Pavilion will host presentations, discussions and panels covering the successes of integrating climate change, biodiversity and sustainable land management into sustainable development policies. The Pavilion at the Rio + 20 conference has been made possible by the strong support of the Government of Brazil, along with substantial contributions from the UK, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Norway and other partners. The Programme for the Pavilion at Rio + 20 can be found at: www.riopavilion.org/programme/ Follow the Pavilion on twitter at: https://x.com/ Notes for editors The Rio Conventions Pavilion is a platform for raising awareness and sharing information about the latest practices and scientific findings on the co-benefits that can be realized through implementation of the three Rio Conventions. The Pavilion is a collaborative effort between the Secretariats of the three Rio Conventions and the Global Environment Facility, in addition to a growing list of other global and local partners. It was launched during the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010 at the margins of the CBD Conference of the Parties (CBD COP10) in Nagoya, Japan. It was subsequently held at the UNFCCC COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico. In 2011, at the UNCCD COP 10 in Changwon, Republic of Korea, and the UNFCCC COP 17 in Durban, South Africa. For more information contact: David Ainsworth, information officer, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity david.ainsworth@cbd.int or +1 514 561 2720.